ProjectWorld and World Congress for Business Analysts blog seeks to bring together all levels of project management and business analysis expertise, from diverse industries and perspectives, across business groups and information technology. Our goal is build successful collaboration and share content, best practices, techniques, and networking.

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Monday, September 29, 2014

Being a relative newbie to the world of project management I thought that I can get a better understanding of the challenges and skills that come with managing a project successfully by asking my trusty colleague Lisa. Lisa has taken the lead in many of our team’s projects over the years. Under her direction we have been successful so who better to ask. One topic that I was interested in was what she thought the biggest challenge was in managing a project. She said that, “My biggest challenge is managing the project and not managing the work---trusting team members to carry out their tasks as expected.” This challenge rang true with me because I have performed the role of employee involvement team facilitator before and that challenge is identical. You want to manage the project (or process) and not the work. Leave that step to the team members. Perhaps a helpful mantra? Nevermind, just keep your hands off the work.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

ProjectWorld 2014 officially launched on Monday, September 22, tackling
some of the biggest issues for attendees.The topics trending at the conference are Agile, Communities of
project, multiple projects, leadership, business analysis and more.The speakers were dolling out “nuggets” of
wisdom and sage advice that attendees could take back to their organizations
and put to use right away.

Many attendees who signed up for the special field trip to
Starbucks were in for a big treat to learn insights on project management best
practices.Hope to interview a few
attendees to share some insights.

Tuesday morning, will kickoff with opening remarks from William Greenwald on Leadership and following keynote speakers, JoMiller and Meta S. Brown share insights on Women’s Leadership and Big
Data.Also, another special field trip
to Boeing will occur later today for those attendees who signed up.

Attendees can follow the twitter steam #PW14 to catch up on
the latest tweets for the event. Stay
tuned for more insights as I’ll share some of the powerful messages coming out
of this conference to help attendees tackle their biggest organizational issues.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

I recently interviewed Mary Ann Bender of Allstate and Betsy
Ballentine – Project Manager at Russell Martin & Associates, to talk about
the ins and outs of leadership in today’s competitive business landscape. Both
women are speaking at next week’s ProjectWorld & World Congress for Business
Analysts conference - the premiere conference brand that delivers executive
level program quality with an enhanced focus on collaboration between project management
and business analysis disciplines.

Here’s what Mary Ann and Betsy had to say:

IIR: What is the
biggest challenge facing project leaders today? How can they be overcome?

Bender: Budget
continues to be a challenge in some cases; however, based on my experience the
biggest challenge is the fear of availability issues or business impact due to
the project or changes to the environment.

So, have a good change management process in place, clear and
customized communication per business area, do a presentation of success
measurements to officers and directors helping them understand how the project
is helping the company and the businesses and if the project has cost savings,
those must be presented too. Divide the metrics and reports per business
unit and make it as a healthy competition between them.

Ballentine: Multi-tasking
is the biggest challenge. Constantly changing focus means that project
managers are never getting any velocity on their projects. New
highly-matrixed, job-sharing times demand leaner, more resilient tools. Get REAL!

Mary Ann and Betsy
will be speaking at PW&WCBA in Seattle,
WA taking place September 22-24th. The 2014 program is designed with courses
for all training levels, a robust agenda, and most importantly tangible lessons
which you can begin implementing the day you return to your office, making you
even more valuable to your organization. PW&WCBA offers attendees 36
PDU/CDUs - that's more than half of the required credits necessary to maintain
your certification in just one place.

Today, ProjectWorld & World Congress for Business
Analysts is the premier conference for advancing collaboration through
practice. This year, PW&WCBA has not only changed locations but also
drastically changed how the program is delivered- more than ever focused on
practicality and tangibility, through visionary speakers, and focus areas that
matter to you and your role and help accelerate future success. At PW&WCBA, you will have the opportunity
to join industry thought leaders as they re-examine how to identify
opportunities and track their success, understanding what it means to be an
effective leader in a virtual and multicultural world, and explore the future
role of project managers and business analysts with the corporation.

Greenwald whole-heartedly believes in Gandhi's quote, "Be
the Change that You Want to See.” According to him, too many leaders worry
about uncontrollables or trying to change others such as peers, bosses, and
spouses.

“Great leaders lead themselves before others...hence, by
simply taking responsibility for your own behavior and being an exemplary role
model in your corporation, community, and family, you will, by default, STAND
OUT.”

Greenwald recommends that all new leaders start every
conversation (at home and at work) with: "How can I serve you today?” This
will begin to build a strong foundation of Servant Leadership that will ably
guide decades of success as a great leader.

If you’d like to hear
more from William, don’t’ miss his sessions, “Creating Magic: Leadership and
Service Excellence” on Monday, September 22nd at 10:45 am and “Story to Stage:
The Art Behind the Science of Presentation Excellence” on Wednesday, September
24th at 2:00 pm. ProjectWorld & World Congress for Business Analysts 2014 is
taking place this September 22-September 24, 2014 in Seattle, Washington. For
more information and to register, click here: http://bit.ly/1wf3eOV

Monday, September 8, 2014

In less than one month, hundreds of project management and
business analysis executives will gather in Seattle to tackle some of their
most pressing challenges from the project trenches at ProjectWorld & World Congress for Business
Analysts. Will you be joining us?

PW&WCBA provides a 3-day experience designed for all training levels,
with a robust agenda and tangible lessons that can be implemented when you
return to the office.

Full Agenda Addressing Project Pain Points :
Designed to meet the needs of YOUR industry, including a new Project Scheduling
Lab, a focus on Leading High Performance Teams and Becoming a Person of
Influence.

In-Depth Workshops: This year there's even more
workshop sessions to get hands on with topics, including Agile PM Training,
Requirements Management Best Practices, Cyber Security, Emotional Intelligence
and more.

40+ Speakers sharing best practices and lessons
learned from deep in the project trenches. Find out what works (and what
doesn't!) from the best in the industry. You'll hear from Allstate, Bank of
Montreal, Erie Insurance, IIBA, Kindred Healthcare, Microsoft, Quest Diagnostics,
Starbucks & more.

A Look into the Future of Project Management
& Business Analysis: PW&WCBA will prepare your team not only for the
changes taking place in project management and business analysis, but also
what's coming. The IIBA's Kevin Brennan and Clark County NV's Ricki Henry will
share What the Future of Business Analysis will look like, while Kathleen B.
Hass explores what the New Project Leadership Model looks like.

36 PDUs/CDUs to maintain your certification:
that's more than half of the credits needed in just THREE days!

Unparalleled Networking: PW&WCBA Connect
allows you to see who's attending the event and begin networking before you
arrive in Seattle. Plus, we've added a networking reception and the opportunity
to sign up for group dinners to continue the conversation after the conference
day ends.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Business Analysts are in high demand today and having the right skill sets may set you apart from other candidates vying for the same jobs. Whether you are a seasoned or new business analyst you will need basic and advanced skill sets to advance in your career.

Considering business analysis as a career? Read more detail on what the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) recommends regarding the transferable skills necessary to be successful.

Business analysis can be a very rewarding career and you can get more information at the website and by joining the International Institute of Business Analysis. Joining as a member provides you with access to A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (the BABOK Guide) and the underlying business analysis competencies lists.

ProjectWorld & World Congress for Business Analysts 2014, is taking place in Seattle, Washington September 22-24th at the W Hotel. The 2014 program is designed with courses for all training levels, a robust agenda, and most importantly tangible lessons which you can begin implementing the day you return to your office, making you even more valuable to your organization. PW&WCBA offers attendees 36 PDU/CDUs - that's more than half of the required credits necessary to maintain your certification in just one place.